Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Community Survey
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Annual Survey 2020
Every two years, JSO commissions an independent survey of Duval County residents to gauge public perception of the department - how safe people feel, how well they think JSO is doing its job, and how they interact with and consume information from JSO. The figures below are drawn directly from Survey Report 2020 Final VersionreportAccessed Sep 21, 2026.
About this survey
Adults age 18 or older residing in Duval County, excluding the Beaches Communities Multi-modal: 1,115 telephone interviews plus 755 online completions (300 Lucid panel and 455 Florida Voter File outreach); English and Spanish
- Completed Interviews
- 1,870
- Margin of Error
- ±2.26%
- Confidence Level
- N/A
- Field Dates
- N/A
- Weighted Results
- Yes
A note on methodology: Telephone interviews used random-digit dialing for landlines and cell phones; the online survey used Qualtrics. Patrol-zone quotas were used. Results were weighted first for patrol-zone oversampling and then by age, sex, race, and education to the 2019 ACS adult population. The report gives a 16% AAPOR RR3 response rate for the phone portion. The report was released in April 2021 but does not disclose field dates. Its cover and instrument call it the 2020 survey, while the 2022 report retrospectively labels this wave as 2021; survey_year preserves the source title. Comparisons with 2016/2018 are affected by the change from telephone-only to multi-modal collection. The Zone 1 police-brutality-worry map/narrative reports 64%, while the appendix components total 58%; appendix components are stored. The Web-by-sex table reports Male Yes=65% and Male No=64%, an internal inconsistency preserved as reported.
Job Approval & Public Safety Perception
Out of 1870 completed interviews.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is handling its job?
70% of respondents say the JSO is handling its job well.
- Strongly Approve
- 29%
- Somewhat Approve
- 41%
- Somewhat Disapprove
- 13%
- Strongly Disapprove
- 11%
- Don’t Know
- 6%
- Refusal
- 1%
You feel safe in your neighborhood.
84% of respondents feel safe in their own neighborhood.
- Strongly Agree
- 52%
- Somewhat Agree
- 32%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 9%
- Strongly Disagree
- 7%
- Don’t Know
- —
- Refusal
- —
You feel safe in the areas of Jacksonville that you go to most often, for example for work or leisure.
80% feel safe in the areas of Jacksonville they visit most often.
- Strongly Agree
- 43%
- Somewhat Agree
- 37%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 11%
- Strongly Disagree
- 7%
- Don’t Know
- 2%
- Refusal
- —
You think Jacksonville is, overall, a safe place to live.
63% think Jacksonville is, overall, a safe place to live.
- Strongly Agree
- 20%
- Somewhat Agree
- 43%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 20%
- Strongly Disagree
- 16%
- Don’t Know
- 1%
- Refusal
- —
Investigations, Misconduct & Accountability
Out of 1870 completed interviews.
Overall, JSO does a good job handling complex investigations.
63% agree the JSO does a good job handling complex investigations.
- Strongly Agree
- 27%
- Somewhat Agree
- 36%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 13%
- Strongly Disagree
- 11%
- Don’t Know
- 12%
- Refusal
- —
JSO does a good job investigating officer-involved shootings.
56% agree the JSO does a good job investigating officer-involved shootings.
- Strongly Agree
- 27%
- Somewhat Agree
- 29%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 12%
- Strongly Disagree
- 16%
- Don’t Know
- 15%
- Refusal
- 1%
JSO does a good job following up on allegations of police misconduct with competent administrative and/or criminal investigations.
54% agree the JSO does a good job following up on allegations of police misconduct.
- Strongly Agree
- 24%
- Somewhat Agree
- 30%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 14%
- Strongly Disagree
- 16%
- Don’t Know
- 16%
- Refusal
- —
JSO does a good job reporting back to the community about findings from investigations of possible police misconduct.
Only 56% believe the JSO does a good job reporting back to the community about its misconduct investigations.
- Strongly Agree
- 24%
- Somewhat Agree
- 32%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 17%
- Strongly Disagree
- 18%
- Don’t Know
- 9%
- Refusal
- —
Being the victim of police brutality is something you personally worry about.
35% personally worry about being a victim of police brutality.
- Strongly Agree
- 22%
- Somewhat Agree
- 13%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 21%
- Strongly Disagree
- 42%
- Don’t Know
- 1%
- Refusal
- —
Staffing, Funding & Personal Encounters
Out of 1870 completed interviews.
JSO has enough officers to meet the city's needs.
43% agree the JSO has enough officers to meet the city's needs.
- Strongly Agree
- 18%
- Somewhat Agree
- 25%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 23%
- Strongly Disagree
- 27%
- Don’t Know
- 8%
- Refusal
- —
JSO is responsible with taxpayer money and allocates its resources well.
53% agree the JSO is responsible with taxpayer money.
- Strongly Agree
- 19%
- Somewhat Agree
- 34%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 17%
- Strongly Disagree
- 15%
- Don’t Know
- 15%
- Refusal
- —
JSO needs more funding.
63% agree the JSO needs more funding.
- Strongly Agree
- 37%
- Somewhat Agree
- 26%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 14%
- Strongly Disagree
- 16%
- Don’t Know
- 7%
- Refusal
- —
In your encounters with JSO personnel, you find them to be courteous and competent.
71% who personally interacted with JSO personnel found them courteous and competent.
- Strongly Agree
- 40%
- Somewhat Agree
- 31%
- Somewhat Disagree
- 10%
- Strongly Disagree
- 9%
- No Interactions
- 10%
- Don’t Know
- 1%
- Refusal
- —
Why have you found JSO personnel's behavior to be discourteous or incompetent?
Rude/Arrogant/Unfriendly/Mean was the most cited reason among respondents who found JSO personnel discourteous or incompetent, at 35%.
- Rude/Arrogant/Unfriendly/Mean
- 35%
- Judge/Assume Guilt
- 6%
- Unprofessional
- 12%
- Inflated Sense of Power and Authority
- 5%
- Excessive Force/Aggression
- 10%
- Racial Profiling/Stereotyping/Harassing
- 11%
- Lack of Action/Don’t do their Job
- 11%
- Bad Personal Experience
- 3%
- Other
- 3%
Contact With JSO
Out of 1870 completed interviews.
Have you called the police in the past year?
29% called the police at least once in the past year.
- Yes
- 29%
- No
- 71%
- Don’t Know
- —
- Refusal
- —
Was it an emergency 9-1-1 call or a non-emergency call to the police department?
Non-Emergency was the most common type of call to police, at 50%.
- Emergency
- 31%
- Non-Emergency
- 50%
- Both
- 19%
- Don’t Know
- —
How many times did you call Emergency 9-1-1 in the past year?
- 0
- —
- 1
- —
- 2
- —
- 3
- —
- 4
- —
- 5
- —
- More than 5
- —
- Don’t Know
- —
How many times did you call the non-emergency police number in the past year?
- 0
- —
- 1
- —
- 2
- —
- 3
- —
- 4
- —
- 5
- —
- More than 5
- —
- Don’t Know
- —
Have you had non-emergency contact with JSO in the past year?
39% had non-emergency contact with JSO in the past year.
- Yes
- 39%
- No
- 61%
- Don’t Know
- —
- Refusal
- —
Public Safety Priorities
Out of 1870 completed interviews.
What public safety issue concerns you most?
Gun Violence was the top concern named, cited by 39% of respondents as the issue JSO should prioritize.
- Homelessness
- 20%
- Mental Health
- 15%
- Gun Violence
- 39%
- Opioid Crisis
- 7%
- Domestic Violence
- 6%
- Something Else
- 10%
- Don’t know
- 1%
- Refusal
- —
Which public safety issue should get more resources allocated to it?
Homelessness was the issue respondents most often said should get more resources, at 25%.
- Homelessness
- 25%
- Mental Health
- 25%
- Gun Violence
- 23%
- Opioid Crisis
- 9%
- Domestic Violence
- 8%
- Something Else
- 8%
- Don’t know
- 2%
- Refusal
- —
If JSO could do one thing for you in your neighborhood, what would it be?
Increase Patrols/Visibility/Presence was the most common thing respondents asked JSO to do for their neighborhood, at 34%.
- Increase Patrols/Visibility/Presence
- 34%
- Stronger Speeding Enforcement
- 6%
- Faster Response Time
- 3%
- Increase Community Outreach/Integration
- 10%
- Address Drug Problem
- 3%
- Tougher on/Reduce Crime
- 5%
- Increased Surveillance
- 1%
- Increase Officers in High Crime Areas
- 2%
- Increase Bike Patrol
- 1%
- Increase Foot Patrol
- 1%
- Nothing
- 8%
- Show More Respect/Don’t Discriminate
- 5%
- Increase Traffic Control
- 1%
- Stop Violence Against Citizens
- 1%
- More Involved w/ Youth/Children-Focused Policing
- 2%
- Focus More on Serious Crime
- 2%
- Increase Safety
- 5%
- Leave Respondent/Neighborhood Alone
- 2%
- Unrelated to JSO
- 1%
- Increase Street Lights
- —
- Address Homelessness
- 1%
- Do Their Job Better
- 3%
- Narrow Specific Issues
- 2%
- Other
- 3%
Online Presence & News Habits
Out of 1870 completed interviews.
Have you visited the JSO website, JaxSheriff.org?
38% have visited JSO's website, JaxSheriff.org.
- Yes
- 38%
- No
- 62%
- Don’t Know
- —
- Refusal
- —
Have you visited the JSO Open Data & Transparency website?
8% have visited JSO's Open Data & Transparency website.
- Yes
- 8%
- No
- 91%
- Don’t Know
- 1%
- Refusal
- —
Which option would you most prefer for getting local news?
Watching local television news was the most preferred way to get local news, at 43%.
- Watching local television news
- 43%
- Reading local print newspapers
- 3%
- Getting local news from a social media site
- 13%
- Getting local news from online websites or app
- 23%
- Getting local news from JSO’s social media sites
- 5%
- Getting local news from JSO’s website
- 5%
- Word of mouth
- 3%
- Something Else
- 4%
- Don’t get local news
- 2%
- Don’t know
- 1%
- Refusal
- —
During a typical week, how many days do you watch local news on TV, not including sports?
- 0
- —
- 1
- —
- 2
- —
- 3
- —
- 4
- —
- 5
- —
- 6
- —
- 7
- —
During a typical week, how many days do you read local news in a printed newspaper, not including sports?
- 0
- —
- 1
- —
- 2
- —
- 3
- —
- 4
- —
- 5
- —
- 6
- —
- 7
- —
During a typical week, how many days do you watch, read, or listen to local news on the Internet, not including sports?
- 0
- —
- 1
- —
- 2
- —
- 3
- —
- 4
- —
- 5
- —
- 6
- —
- 7
- —
Which social media platforms do you or would you follow JSO on?
Facebook was the platform most respondents follow or would follow JSO on, at 42%.
- 42%
- 19%
- 15%
- YouTube
- 18%
- Don’t Know
- 16%
- Refusal
- 25%
Community Engagement
Out of 1870 completed interviews.
Which JSO community-engagement activities would you be willing to participate in?
Neighborhood Walks was the community-engagement activity most respondents said they'd participate in, at 35%.
- Sheriff’s Watch Meetings
- 26%
- Neighborhood Walks
- 35%
- Coffee with a Cop
- 31%
- Safety Fairs
- 27%
- Citizen’s Police Academy
- 21%
- Substations and Stop Stations
- 23%
- Direct Officer Interaction
- 34%
- Other
- 8%
- Don’t Know
- 6%
- Refusal
- 18%